Ryan Thomas in court over car crash

The 25-year-old actor, who plays builder Jason Grimshaw in the ITV1 soap, is in hot water after his £25,000 Chrysler 300 ploughed into a lamp-post.[>

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His pal, Wayne Pheasey, 25, who told police he was at the wheel, was charged with drink-driving and having no insurance.[>

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But Pheasey admitted at Manchester Crown Court yesterday that he had lied, pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.[>

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He could be jailed when he is sentenced next month. Crown prosecutors will now serve papers on Thomas, of Cheadle, Cheshire, claiming he was the driver and that he failed to stop or report the incident within 24 hours.[>

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He will appear before Manchester magistrates on the same day his friend is sentenced.[>

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Thomas recently split with co-star Tina O’Brien, 26, who played Sarah Louise Platt, after a six-year romance. The couple have an 18-month-old daughter, Scarlett.[>